Wayne P.

Trees will look like toothpicks on the larger screens too. It's all about the unit settings and boat speed.

Sonarphone change: Since I commented on the preference for the Android App, the iOS app has been changed to that format with a recent update. Some others may have agreed, which brought about that change.

Another feature with Lakemaster is their new program called Chart Select. You can purchase individual bodies of water to download to a memory card. Check the Humminbird Lakemaster web site for that process.

If you are moving forward with the motor turned 90 degrees you see a blur. If you are sitting still and turn the motor at a rate that matches the scroll speed, it looks like the 360. If you have the correct scroll speed for the boat speed, when you turn the motor, that is faster than the scroll speed and the effect on the image is barely noticeable. Just common sense that the imaging pulses have to scan to produce the images. Pointed directly towards a subject is not scanning.

Color makes no difference to the fish. Pick colors you "feel/think" may work.

ContourXD is 2006 Navionics maps of 3000 locations nationwide. That means there are thousands of locations not included. Your particular water may or may not be covered. You can check the maps when you get the unit or you can do a Humminbird web site search for the list of waters.

What is the deal with not using a SI tranducer on the trolling motor? I have been doing that since I got the first SI unit. I have four SI units now. If you know how to operate a Humminbird SI unit, it would not be an issue. If you get sonar data from a boat length away, what you see displayed will be a boat length offset.

"better" is subjective. First of all Lakemaster has very little coverage for that area since this year is the first year with any coverage at all. Check the lake list for your waters. If any are HD, then Lakemaster would be a good choice. There is a new feature with Lakemaster called Chart Select. With that you can download a single body of water and have all the Lakemaster features for that location. Refer to the Lakemaster web site for available locations. To do that you have to encrypt at least a 2GB card to download the map to. Only one location per card. Encryption was added via software update for several unit models recently. For Navionics, you can view the current maps on the Navionics website's Web App and know what the coverage is.

You cannot use the AS INTERLINK accessory with the 859ci HD DI Combo. You can only use Ethernet and you would only need the Ethernet cable and an Ethernet adaptor for both units to get the connection. You would only need extra stuff if you want to add additional Ethernet equipment. The discontinued INTERLINK is a data storage box and two cables to connect two units together to share GPS data. I don't know for sure about the 798ci HD SI Combo, but both 859 series units and larger display models will cross-share technologies and display Side Imaging from a Side Imaging unit. That is a new feature added via software update. You will find that out when you do the Ethernet connection.

One more thing, both 859's are also compatable with the 360 Imaging if you decide to add that later. I have four Side Imaging units, two 2D units, a DI unit and the 360 I can use on my 16' Tracker. I fish mostly 10 HP limited waters and electric-only waters. Typically I just use three SI units on the HP limited waters and just one SI unit on electric-only waters, maybe one of the 2D units for extra stuff like sonar logging. I do more than just fishing.

First of all, I would learn what models I have. You stated first that the 859 has Side Imaging and neither 859 has Side Imaging. There is a 2D unit and a DI unit. 859ci HD Combo 859ci HD DI Combo What do you mean by "networkable"? If you have the Ethernet compatable 798, that is the 798ci HD SI Combo. It is also INTERLINK compatable. If you have one of the other two 798's they can only use INTERLINK to share data. 798c SI Combo, 798ci SI Combo. The 859's are not INTERLINK compatable, just Ethernet compatable. INTERLINK has been discontinued. The 798's have a much higher pixel density display, 31,170.5 pixels per square inch as opposed to 17,533.4 pixels per square inch for the 859. The 800 series has a larger display, but not "better". As to which technology you would want where depends on your operating knowledge for Side Imaging. I use Side Imaging for fishing and searching. Your style of fishing would also determine which technology you would want where. Your avatar would suggest you fish for crappie, so the DI unit at the bow would be the most useful for fishing offshore cover with split screen Chart/2D sonar.

It depends on how long you want to use the unit. For a fishing day, you could get by with a 5 ah battery. Most would choose at least a 7 ah battery. A 7 ah battery is what Humminbird has with their portable pack for that model. http://www.humminbird.com/Products/PiranhaMAX-175-PT/

If you have a Navionics+ card, that is a microSD inside a SD adaptor. Navionics cards have been microSD since 2010. Even this year's Lakemaster cards are microSD because of the Helix models.

The 600 has the three favorite view buttons and is OK in the 2D and DI versions, but not OK in the SI version 698ci SI Combo due to the narrow display. Screen width is the most important factor with a Side Imaging unit. They have a SD card reader Just the opposite with the Helix models. The Helix 5 SI GPS is the best choice due to the wide screen, not so much with just the 2D or DI models. They have a microSD card reader. Operation wise, they are the same with the same basic background map, do not know about the processor speed. I can find out if that is a deal breaker.

It is quite basic. The transducer has to be submerged to work.

Gold Krazy Blade

The Sonarphone works just like any other marine sonar unit. The transducer has to have water contact to work, quite simple. I use it for generating contour maps and adjusting map contours with Sonar Charts Live. Your issue would be the environment that the display is subjected to.

There are a few bass in Sandy River Res.

You can get a simple 2D sonar unit that will do what you want and operate on a small rechargeable battery like game cameras use. The Lowrance Elite 3X is about $100 There are some even cheaper than that. Look at the ones at the bottom of this page by Signstek: http://www.amazon.com/Humminbird-4086401-PiranhaMAX-Dual-Fishfinder/dp/B009KA1474

I got the first case of bass thumb this year last Sunday.

There are two versions of Sonarphone---Android and iOS. The top one is on a Android tablet and the bottom one is on an iPad. Does the same with smartphones. BTW, you won't be doing much scanning for fish holding a sonar unit in your hand and paddling.

With the side looking imaging technology, the brighter returns are a rising bottom shape and the darker returns are a falling away bottom shape if there is a somewhat steep dropping bottom. SOooooo, if you are navigating parallel with the shore, the side towards the shore will be brighter and the other side will be darker. To know the depth below the transducer, look at the depth readout or you can turn on the SI Range Lines. I don't use the SI Range lines, too much screen clutter for my taste.

Don't know and doesn't make any difference. It was posted on another website to show SI can do something above idle speed. Humminbird's Side Imaging transducers do Side Imaging, Down Imaging, 2D sonar and temp. Pretty much matches what I stated that a PROPERLY installed HDSI transducer will work at speed.

Set the unit to use 455 kHz for Scan and you will get the widest coverage the unit is capable of.